How to Start the Semester Off Strong

Believe it or not, we’re days away from the start of the spring semester. That means that pretty soon, we’ll be heading back to State College and lacing up our Bean Boots and zipping up our long jackets in preparation for another cold winter.

The spring semester means that you have a clean slate and still have the chance to make it your best semester yet.

Here are some tips to begin the semester organized and relaxed:

Set Goals

New Year’s resolutions are clichéd, but the idea of goal-setting will never go out of style. Write down your goals for the semester. What grades do you want? How many times will you hit the gym? How often will you visit the library? Check out a goal setting template here.

Pack Now

Yes. Like right now. Don’t wait until the last-minute to pack up your car or load up your suitcase for the ride to Happy Valley. Figure out what you need from home a few days ahead of time, so that you’re not scrambling.

Rest Up

Let’s face it. Unless you have a schedule hand-picked by God, sleeping in until 2 p.m. won’t cut it when school starts. Start getting your internal clock back into a good sleeping pattern so that you’ll actually wake up for 8ams.

Start textbook shopping, or at least browsing

We know that professors sometimes put textbooks in the syllabus that you don’t need. However, that shouldn’t stop you from at least getting an ideal of what your classes will entail. Check Penn State’s Barnes & Noble site for the textbooks you’ll need, then head over to Amazon or Chegg for the best deals.

Get a planner, seriously

Stop being unorganized 2k17. There are planners at literally every store right now. Buy one, and fill in the dates that all of your assignments and exams are due, along with your social events. Don’t like the idea of a physical planner? Google Calendar, My Student Life, and Schooltraq are all good e-resources.

Budget

Don’t go broke in 2017. Save more money than you spend. Do you really need to go out every night or order Wings Over on the reg? Probably not. Check out Mint, a great app for managing money and paying bills.

Let’s make this semester the best yet.

Related

Adriana Lacy is a senior Public Relations and African American Studies major from the oh-so-famous town of "Right outside of Philly," Pennsylvania. She's the editor in chief of The Underground, and thinks that she's pretty awesome. When she's not tweeting (@adriana_lacy), Adriana enjoys actually living right outside of Philly, writing about sports, social justice, and drinking urban-framed, artisan crafted coffee. You can email her at eic@psuunderground.com